The perfect present
by Fallen angel named Alan
Summary: Forget about the past and ignore the future, Duo just wants to live now, in the perfect present. With his Heero of course. But sometimes it's not so easy
1. Chapter 1

Sorry that this got erased, it's reposted and good as new, I even double checked my spelling this time! So once more, enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The perfect present  
  
Duo sat in his room, staring bleakly into a small pile of crumbled bills and change lying in a little hollow made of blankets. Five dollars and seventy-three cents. It's not enough! Frustrated he slumped forward until he could feel the little coins pressing against his face.  
  
Unh. What the hell could he get with such a small amount of money? Shinigami take it all!  
  
With a very low growl Duo sat up, feeling a few coins sticking to his face. Damn them, damn Quatre, damn Trowa, damn Wufei and above all DAMN Heero!  
  
"..."  
  
Okay I take that back, I don't want Quatre damned, he's too fucking cute. And Trowa has never done anything against me except agree with Quatre, and you know, Wufei was just as against this as I am but hell, the Heero one is stickin!  
  
Ooh, this sucks. Duo let his mind wander away, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do.  
  
When you get right down to it, this was all Quatre's fault. The sympathetic angel had decided that everyone deserves to have a birthday and he had told them so. After making his announcement the little troublemaker had made Trowa, Duo and Heero pull a date out of a hat and that was then their birthday. It seemed to work okay; this was their third year going with this system.  
  
One problem though, Heero was turning 18, according to the day he drew, in a little less than two weeks. And Duo was flat on his ass broke.  
  
I need to do something! The perfect present for Heero is out there, somewhere and it is only five seventy-three! Briefly he thought about doing what he had done every year, get him nothing. I mean, if you don't get him anything it's better than getting him something he'll hate right?  
  
No, that won't work. This year he wanted to get Heero the perfect thing, to let him know how much he was loved. But how was he supposed to get something that showed his love with only five goddamn seventy-three! It was hopeless.  
  
Duo frowned and chewed absently on the end of his braid as he pondered. Maybe he should go talk to the others, they might have some good suggestions, and Heero was out on a mission so it was the perfect time.  
  
Walking instead of bouncing (a major sign that something was wrong) he left his room and went looking for his fellow pilots. It was easy to find Quatre and Trowa; he simply followed the music to where they were playing on a balcony. "Guys?"  
  
Quatre instantly put away his instrument seeing how depressed Duo looked while Trowa quietly set down his flute. "Do you need something Duo?"  
  
"YES! Help me!" Duo sat down with/collapsed unto a soft stuffed chair and moaned in anguish, head in hands.  
  
Both boys jumped and in half a sec Quatre was next to him, looking concerned. "Duo honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"I need to find the perfect birthday present for Heero!"  
  
"Oh, is that all?" He looked instantly relieved.  
  
Duo had to fight the urge to snarl at the blond Arab. "Yes that is all! And sorry for it feeling important to me!"  
  
Trowa looked back between them calmly, very confused but not letting it slip past his carefully calm mask. Quatre was starting to look nervous so he decided to help. "What do you think he'd like?"  
  
The very soft, seldom heard voice was enough to startle Duo out of his self- pity temporarily. It didn't last long. "That's the problem, I don't know!"  
  
"I have an idea." Quatre smiled sweetly and continued on. "You know the flower shop downtown, off highway 99?"  
  
"Yeah I know the place. That's where I used to buy Beanie.babies.*cough*" Duo slowly petered off and went quiet. Hm, flowers for Heero? I dunno.  
  
Quatre skimmed right over the comment though Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Well the last time I was there I saw these cute little dolls with yarn hair and all these little outfits. They're so cute!"  
  
Very slowly Duo blinked and then turned away from Quatre instead looking to Trowa, the sane one for ideas. The uni-banged pilot suggested quietly the only thing he could think off, "Maybe you could get him a new gun?"  
  
This wasn't working. Duo sighed and went to leave, mumbling, "Thanks for the help," before he walked out.  
  
Well that had proved fruitless.  
  
Next source then. Where would Wufei be?  
  
He wandered randomly until finally he found the Chinese pilot downstairs in the safe house, sharpening his sword meditatively. Without a word Duo sank down next to him and waited for acknowledgement. After a while Wufei looked up and nodded to show he was listening.  
  
Duo quietly asked, "What do you think I can get for Heero's birthday?"  
  
"Huhn. Something sharp, deadly, shiny, or that inflicts pain." With that useful advice he went back to rubbing the whetstone against the blade  
  
I give up, at least for now. Sighing sadly he trudged back to his room and flopped down on the bed to sleep for tonight. But tomorrow he would continue looking.  
  
***********  
  
"Hey isn't this cute?" Quatre gushed over a little stuffed animal and Duo felt a little smile tug at his mouth. This wasn't so bad, they had all decided to go shopping, or rather Quatre had pulled Trowa and Wufei along in their quest. Now they were in a small shop called shells and things that was clearly meant for children.  
  
"Sneak attack!" Duo reached out and nipped the blonde's ear with one of those weird animal head things while Trowa examined sock puppets. Wufei was, well, somewhere in the store. Quatre yelped in surprise and countered with a giant stuffed snake.  
  
"Take thissss!" The two giggled at each other and started an all out stuffed animal fight, tossing the hapless teddies and various manimals back and forth. Trowa grinned at them, and caught a mini lion as it bounced off Duo's head in his direction.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah, play nice kids." Trowa tucked the little lion back in place and looked at them shyly for a moment. Then, much to their surprise he reached out and kissed Quatre's cheek with a little tiger hand puppet. "I love you!" He made the little puppet squeak at Quatre before he slipped it off and handed it to Duo, walking away silently.  
  
"Ooh." Duo winked at a suddenly blushing Quatre and wandered away further into the store. At the back next to a window overlooking the bay he found Trowa and Wufei playing checkers. The only thing strange was that the checkers were huge, bigger than hockey pucks and the board was just as proportionately larger and looked very much like it could used as a blanket when it wasn't draped over a table.  
  
Trowa, in all his wisdom was fighting excellently and Duo bounced up and down, "I play winner, I play winner!"  
  
"What's this about me?" Quatre showed up behind them looking a little confused at hearing what he thought was his name.  
  
"No, I was talking about their game, I get to play next!"  
  
"Oh." The younger man blushed before seizing Duo's hand. "Come on I found something he might like!"  
  
Duo's ears practically perked up and he followed his fellow pilot around a ton of displays until they reached a wall devoted to crafts. There were stacks of colorful origami paper, yarn, sewing supplies and other various goods. What Quatre wanted to show him was a stamp with hundreds of Japanese symbols. Duo was quiet as he examined it. It was nice but why would Heero want this?  
  
With a sigh he set it back and shook his head at Quatre whose face fell in disappointment. "Oh well, I tried." Duo nodded in thanks and started looking at the stamps, there was a very nice engraved one made of metal and mahogany that was the Japanese symbol for love, the word scrawled in English beneath it. Hmm, appealing.  
  
His gaze drifted to the price. Thirty-five dollars. With a wince he put the little thing back on the shelf. So much for that idea. Putting on a fake smile for Quatre he bounced back to where Wufei and Trowa were at war. During his absence the Wufei had gained the upper hand and poor Trowa had only one king left while the Chinese pilot had four.  
  
While Duo impatiently waited for them to finish, whining a little at how long they were taking a couple of times and bounced on the balls of his feet they chased each other around the board. FINALLY after nearly an hour Wufei managed to trap Trowa but not before his force had dwindled down to two.  
  
As Trowa stood up Wufei smirked and started resetting the pieces. "Oh hey," he said in surprise, "there's chess pieces on the other side."  
  
"Ooh, let's play chess Wu-man!" Duo had cheerfully slid into the seat like he lived there and was swiftly flipping over all the pieces to reveal the chess side.  
  
"I can't play chess, I don't know how."  
  
"I'll teach you!" Wufei shrugged in acceptance and started slowly to set up his side to the best of his knowledge. In half a breath Duo had finished setting his side and glanced over to see how Wufei was doing. With a grin he saw the Chinese pilot setting them up like checkers and reached across the table to help. In not too long things were set up right and Duo was rushing through the basics of chess. He was black, of course, what else would the god of death play.  
  
They started with Duo explaining things as they went. Quatre and Trowa watched for a while then wandered away. Quite some time later they returned and sighed to see the two still going strong. Quatre sighed and snatched two hats off a display and put them on the pilots, a black and red joker's hat with bells for Duo and a huge overstuffed crown on Wufei. The two were too wrapped up in their game to notice.  
  
After waiting some more Quatre snapped a picture of them and told them that he and Trowa were going across the strip to check out another shop. Duo absently waved and continued on with the game.  
  
It was a very long time before they finished, Duo the eventual winner but not before Wufei pulled off some tricks that made Duo accuse him of lying about being a newbie. It was only then that they noticed the hats and pulled them off.  
  
"Hm, cute." Duo snickered at the hat, even Wufei smiled a little. They got up and stretched, relinquishing the board to some waiting teenage girls, and putting the hats back. "Tro and Cat are across the street, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Let's go find them." Duo nodded in agreement and bounced out the door, stopping when he reached the door and Wufei wasn't there. After a moment the other boy appeared, grinning and putting the joker hat on Duo's head. "It suits you too well to not get it."  
  
For a second Duo folded his arms and stuck out his tongue before he straightened the hat and bounced across the street with Wufei following behind. He did like the hat to be truthful, liked the way it made noise when he walked, liked the looks people directed at him. Something like, 'What the hell is with him?' He liked it all.  
  
Directly across the street was photo studio and the two boys examined its display window with interest before going in to see if their friends were inside. After looking around and questioning the shopkeeper they kept walking. One door over was a gift shop, crowded and small and smelling like cinnamon. There too yielded nothing.  
  
Three shops later and with the same results Duo was panicking. "Did they leave without us?"  
  
Wufei shook his head and pointed at a black jeep. "The car's still here."  
  
"Ooh, there they are!" Duo had just seem the light blue jacket of Quatre way down the road and raced towards them. The two waited until they caught up and then after a brief talk they split up again, Duo with Quatre and Wufei leading Trowa away to show him something in a leather shop.  
  
Quatre and Duo went in a strange shop that smelled like incense and once more Duo was running around looking for the perfect gift. Hopefully something for five dollars and seventy-three cents. Jewelry, nope, rings, NOT a good idea, dresses, *snort* yeah right. Hm, near the exit was a small shelf with thick shapes of crystal. Deep in the depths of the clear crystal were small patterns that made Duo stare in amazement. His eyes were drawn to one a simple rectangle in which an eagle had its wings spread in flight over a very small and detailed earth.  
  
Ah! This was nice! Twenty dollars, damn. Duo turned to say something to Quatre, only to realize the blond boy was gone. Looking around Duo went to the shopkeeper, a young girl dressed like a gypsy and asked her, "Did you see where my friend went?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. He left a while ago."  
  
Frowning Duo walked out and looked around. No one. Quickly he started running around, looking for his friends. He couldn't find them anywhere. Did he ever mention how much he hated being alone? Well he did. A lot and now he was getting very near tears.  
  
Then they walked out of a store, all of them together and he catapulted from depressed to relieved to angry. The jerks, how dare they walk away and leave him by himself! Standing there just long enough so that they noticed him he glared accusingly and spun around on his heel. Before they could react he was already half gone, walking towards the boat dock because that always calmed him down somehow.  
  
None of the pilots followed him and he spent the next two hours walking around the docks, looking at boats and seals. When his feet started to hurt because of the sharp heels of his leather boots he walked back towards where the car was parked, thinking about finding Quatre and demanding the keys. Ahead he briefly saw the blue flash of Quatre's coat and saw the other boys get in the jeep and start it.  
  
With out changing his expression from an angry blank or changing his calm stalking pace he went to his door, pulled it open and slid in. No one said a word as Trowa pulled the car out. After a few minutes silence Quatre muttered something about a pawnshop that only Trowa could hear.  
  
They reached said pawnshop and once more they all went in, Duo still painfully quiet and abandoning his joker's hat. Trowa and Quatre looked at instruments, Wufei played with knives and Duo stared at a beautiful Japanese sword on the wall. It was a traditional katana in a blue silk sheath, dragons storming across the cloth. It would be perfect for Heero but by this point he was too depressed to even ask a price. It wouldn't be in his price range, there was no goddamned way.  
  
After a while Quatre noticed Duo staring longingly at the wall and walked over. "Do you want to get that for Heero?"  
  
Hell yes! "No." Duo's voice was flat and the little pilot looked startled.  
  
"Okay. Hey, he likes this movie." Duo looked at it and sighed as Quatre walked back to where Trowa watched from. It had been a long day, he was tired after staying up all night thinking, his feet hurt from a day of walking in the damned two inch heels, never fucking mind if they made him feel taller! This was the last shop they were going to before they went for the three drive home and this was the first thing he had found that Heero might like and that he could afford.  
  
He just didn't care anymore. And he bought the damn movie, throwing all the money he had on the counter and storming out to the jeep. While everyone was inside still he looked at the battered cover, .and started crying.  
  
'Boys don't cry' he shouted at himself in silence, but he couldn't help it. The tears just wouldn't stop. It had been such a long day, all he wanted was to get Heero the perfect gift and the best he could do was a second hand movie and a card he'd draw himself. Life fuckin' sucked.  
  
I want to give him the whole world but with only five dollars, that's a pretty goddamn small piece of world. Sniffling he rubbed away the tears as the other pilots came out.  
  
Quatre said something quietly to the others and they stayed at the door talking while he went out to talk to Duo. "Duo, you want to get that sword for Heero don't you? I'll give you the money for it."  
  
It was the wrong thing to say. Duo turned away, hiding his eyes behind his bangs and shook his head. A single tear streaked down his cheek. They just don't understand! "I don't want you to buy it for him."  
  
The blonde was silent and he got back into the front seat, after a moment Trowa and Wufei joined them. Duo stifled his sobs on the trench coat's collar and kept himself turned around towards the window so that no one would see him cry.  
  
It wasn't fair.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hello to anyone reading this. All my reviews got deleted with the original version of this story. Feel like making up the difference? Please? 


	2. Chapter 2

Next chapter back up! Enjoy the cute randomness!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
I am sick and it bites like a rabid chihuahua to the groin.  
  
Duo was curled in front of his computer looking for something to distract him. Every ten minutes he checked his email, checked if his neopet was okay, checked if the comic he read had updated and when he was through with the rounds he typed until ten minutes later when he felt the need to check again. It was only six o'clock and it felt much, much later.  
  
Already it was dark out and the birds had stopped singing. Far away a car peeled out above the soft music of 105.1 the Buzz. So boring. Someone email me, give me a computer virus, let the house burn down just let something happen already! He had been here all day feeling sick as a dog and wrapped up in a comforter. He couldn't sleep, dreams of a certain blue eyed someone were just too much to take.  
  
So here he was, in front of the computer with a cold chocolate, his hair a messy tangle and dressed in his "day off clothes." He doubted anyone had ever had the pleasure of seeing shinigami wearing a ragged black tee-shirt with a large yellow smiley face covering the front and torn faded blue jeans. The shirt fit how he was feeling today, in the middle of the smiley face's forehead was a big black bullet-hole and blood was splattered everywhere. And the back, well the back was a pretty gruesome sight.  
  
Just thinking about the shirt made him smile maliciously. Damn thing had it coming. Someday he would have to walk through Wal-Mart in this just to see how people reacted.  
  
Evanescence came on the radio then and he hummed then sang along, stopping when he realized how terrible he sounded right now. And the singing didn't exactly help his sore throat. You know what, this is Wufei's fault; he had a cold a couple of days ago and now I've got it. Hey, speaking of them where the hell was everyone anyway?  
  
Hmm, maybe I can use the power of my mind to make someone email me!! Mwahahaha, now concentrate. ConCenTrate....  
  
"*ding* you've got mail!"  
  
"Whoo hoo!" He clicked on the little icon and stared at the email eagerly. Let's see, steal passwords, newest spy ware... "GODDAMN JUNK!!" Snarling he hurled it into his trash can and emptied it vengefully.  
  
"I give up, the world is against me, or at least the Internet. IT'S A GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY I TELL YOU!!" No one agreed or argued, off course there was no one around but that wasn't the point.  
  
Wait; was there a point to begin with? I don't know, this cold has fried my brain. Or I'm just hopped up/drunk on the cough syrup. Do they give kids this stuff? You could serve this at a bar there's so much alcohol in it!  
  
....Something happen! I command the universe to do something!  
  
The universe clearly didn't give a damn that he was bored and sick. He could swear the wind was laughing at him but then again, that could just be the cough syrup again. Slumping forward he started banging his head against the desk rhythmically.  
  
"I *bang* hate *bang* my *bang* life!! *double bang*" After a second he giggled, "Ooh, brain damage! Just what I needed to add to my list of problems."  
  
Just before he could start another round of banging his head the phone rang and he fumbled for it like his life depended on this call. He practically killed himself getting to it; after tripping, slapping his face against the couch and stepping on his cat, [sorry Pantha!] he reached it and answered, practically screaming, "Hello?!"  
  
The person on the other side waited just long enough for Duo to think they had hung up before saying calmly, "Hello Duo."  
  
Heero, it was Heero! Duo almost melted into a gooey puddle, he was sure his mind had at least. "Heero, what are you doing?"  
  
"That's what I was calling to ask you. It's closing night and I want to know if you'd like to see it." He sounded distracted and Duo could hear people singing, "The hills are alive" in the background.  
  
"Closing night, of what? I mean yeah I'll be there but what is it?"  
  
Heero decided then to regress into choppy speech. "Sound of music, closing night, come, Quatre's on the way, bye." *cuh-lick*  
  
Heero's in the sound of music? How the hell did that happen? And why the hell didn't I know?  
  
...  
  
OH SHINIGAMI! With a shock he realized he had only minutes to make himself look like he hadn't been barfing up his guts all day. MUST HURRY! Tripping over himself in his hurry he raced to the bathroom and scrubbed his face till he looked all bright-eyed and bushytailed, minus the tail part. The clothes would have to do, his hair was more important! He rummaged through the drawer until he found a brush and he dragged it through his hair, wincing at the sound of ripping when it hit a snag but in too much of a hurry to be more careful.  
  
Where the hell are my shoes? Braiding his hair as he ran around he searched desperately for the missing tennies. The only thing he could find was those damn high-heeled boots that killed his feet but he pulled them on any way, after all they did make him taller. Just then Quatre pulled in and Duo was halfway to the door before he remembered that the pants were ripped in the ass and showed of his silky, heart-covered boxers.  
  
Oh Shinigami take it all! I don't have time to change! His eyes fell on the trench coat and he swooped it up, it covered enough to save him humiliation. Pulling it on as he went he stumbled to the car and dived in, gasping for breath and mentally cheering like he had won a marathon. Oh yeah, three minutes flat! Who's the man, I'm the man!  
  
Quatre made no comment on the spectacular entrance; he was just here to drive. While Duo panted and recovered in the back he drove them to the high school.  
  
By halfway there Duo had gained his breath enough to lean forward and ask, "Hey Q-man, how come you guys never said Heero was in this play?"  
  
"We did, you just kind of zoned it out."  
  
Me? Zone out on information about Heero? Naw, there must be some mistake.  
  
"Who does he play?" Duo snickered to himself at the sudden image that came to him of Heero playing a nun, habit and all.  
  
"He's one of the Nazi soldiers. He doesn't show up until the end, he has one line and he actually sings in two songs."  
  
Hmm, Heero as a Nazi. I bet he's the hottest one of all. Yummy.  
  
Quatre continued on, ignorant of Duo's line of thought. "We have 45 minutes before it starts but we need to get there early to get good seats, yesterday there were over 400 people there and only seating for 200. It was pandemonium."  
  
Duo mumbled noncommittally, his thoughts still dwelling on Nazi Heero. It's the perfect role for him, not say anything, not smile, just stand there and terrorize people. Yep, the role from fucking heaven. And to be honest Heaven was often a more serious threat then hell from his point of view.  
  
"I've never seen the sound of music you know." Duo chewed on his lip thoughtfully.  
  
"What?" Quatre turned to give him the most shocked and outraged face Duo had ever seen on the blonde. "I would have sworn everyone earth side or in the colonies had seen the sound of music!"  
  
"Well I haven't! So sue me." Duo huffily sat back and crossed his arms. Okay, I need to get my voice to stop squeaking. It sounds like I'm going through puberty all over again. Damn sore throat.  
  
The parking lot was half empty but then again, they were 45 minutes early to this thing. After smoothing his braid Duo slid out and followed Quatre to the high school and watched in amusement while the little Arab tried without success to find the unlocked door. Duo calmly reached past him and tugged open the first door, earning both a glare and a thankful look from the blonde.  
  
Just on the other side of the doors was where you got your tickets and Duo, he realized with a shock, had a paltry two dollars to his name. It was seven dollars a ticket. Oh shit. "Quatre."  
  
"Don't worry, Heero arranged it so we can get in free." Quatre smiled winningly at the ticket woman and she nodded in recognition, waving them through.  
  
"Oh. Cool. Hey, what's that?" Duo pointed to a large tub full of flowers and people crowding around a little table holding pieces of bright yellow paper.  
  
"For a quarter you can send a message to one of the cast, let them know you're in the audience, cheer them on, etc. For 1.50 you can send them a flower and for 2.00 you can send them a telegram, flower and a cookie." Quatre looked at the stuff a minute before walking over, mumbling something about how Trowa might like to get something.  
  
Duo chewed his lip thoughtfully, would Heero like that? Oh hell, he had the money and what better way to spend it? As soon as the crowd died down just a tad he bounced over and slapped the money down. Quickly he took the paper and wrote to Hee-chan Yuy and under from scribbled; just lil ole shinigami, who else? And doodled a little grinning cat face underneath. He folded it in half and handed it to the boy behind the counter before looking through the flowers, selecting a blood red rose, almost black when not in direct light.  
  
The boy looked at the name and grinned. "You know Heero Yuy? It seems like he gets half the stuff we sell here. I bet he wanted he could open up a flower shop by now." With another little smile he tucked the note and the wrapped up cookie into the flower's plastic and put it in the pile waiting to be delivered.  
  
Humph, great, now I'm not only broke but I'm unoriginal too. Oh well, I Tried and that's all that matters. Now that his pockets had been emptied to support a not so needy cause he wandered over to where Quatre was holding a place in the line.  
  
"How long until the doors to the auditorium open?"  
  
"Not long, just about twenty minutes."  
  
"Ah." So Duo resigned himself to being bored once more and started watching people as they came in. Ten minutes later the cafeteria was packed, the line going around the entire room and outside. A red haired girl next to him was humming something that he vaguely recognized as the theme from a final fantasy game. She's way off pitch. If he didn't have a sore throat he'd show her a thing or three.  
  
Finally after a never ending torturous eternity in which he very nearly killed the bitch or ripped out her vocal cords to stop the abuse the doors opened. Oh Halleluiah! Praise Buddha and all that! Quite eagerly he raced through the doors, barely pausing to let the usher rip his ticket. He dragged Quatre to a seat in the third row, a little off to the right of the stage.  
  
"Yay!" They plopped down and Quatre started leafing through the program, Duo doing the same. But there was only one thing Duo was looking for and half an eternity later he found it, Heero's name just below Trowa's. Before he could squeal in excitement the lights dimmed and the band started. It was only when the nuns started singing that Duo realized what a poor choice these seats were.  
  
He couldn't hear a damn word. With the band right beside him it overpowered the pitiful singer's efforts. Half the time he couldn't even hear the conversation and a fat, tall and balding man was directly in front of him so anything happen center stage was eclipsed. The chair was hard and by the third song his body was screaming at him to stretch away the soreness. What only, ten more songs until intermission? Well this fucking sucks.  
  
But when the party seen started and he saw Heero it was all worth it. Heero wasn't in his Nazi uniform yet and he was simply an extra party guest but he was the reason why Duo was going through this slow torture. Nearly hidden behind a curtain it took a couple of looks to be sure it was the right man.  
  
He looked damn fine. His hair was slicked back, most likely for the first time in his life and he had a little bit of a five o clock shadow. The perfectly cut black suit didn't hurt either. Duo had to fight not to drool. Though to be fair, Duo had to fight the urge to drool no matter what Heero was wearing. He looked so different but not in a bad way. Again Duo thought quietly, 'yummy.'  
  
After that Duo ignored the plot, he ignored the singing, he ignored everything; he only had eyes for Heero. Even as a background character he stood out and Duo, with a pang of jealousy, realized that most teenagers of both sexes were sighing in the same direction.  
  
None too soon and at the same time long before he had wished the curtain closed and intermission began. Duo sprung out of his seat and started bouncing through the crowd, stretching and doing calisthenics. Practically cheering he bounced out of the auditorium hoping to catch a glimpse of Heero but the hall was blocked off with a sign saying, "Cast members only."  
  
Damn. So instead of seeing Heero he walked around, talked to people and became once more unbelievably bored. When the doors opened again he was just as eager to get in as he had been to get out.  
  
Quatre had decided that they needed to move seats and now they were way in the back in the bleachers and off to the left this time. Advantages; you could actually hear what the hell they were saying and the music had lyrics. Oh, also there were no big tall people blocking his view as he was raised above them all. Disadvantages; they were too far away to really see the people's faces, including Heero's.  
  
Double damn. One has to ask oneself, which is the lesser of two great evils?  
  
Well too bad too late the lights have dimmed and that shrill Maria has made her way to center stage and was balling like a lovesick calf again. Duo just sighed and waited through it for Heero to reappear. It was a little amusing to notice while he was waiting that every time Trowa came on stage Quatre gripped his arm and squealed like a little girl. This boy has it BAD.  
  
Well anyway, the play went on, with Duo wondering in spite of himself how the people managed to change their costumes completely in less than two minutes. FINALLY Heero reappeared with the other Nazis. As Maria and the children ran around singing, "These are a few of my favorite things" he could just make out Heero's deep velvet voice chiming in harmony.  
  
Then the play ended and even before the curtains closed Duo was on his feet, cheering, clapping hard enough that he thought his hands might fall off and screaming Heero's name. He was easily the most energetic person in the audience, all he needed was a pair of pom poms and a skirt and he could try out for the freaking cheerleading squad.  
  
He couldn't help it, he yelled, whistled and catcalled until he was hoarse and even then he kept at it. When Quatre told him that the cast was going to be in the cafeteria to talk to people he was one of the first out, squeezing past people and looking around for Heero.  
  
There he was. Duo's heart beat faster at seeing he was only holding one rose, a deep red one and eating a cookie. M-mine? He wiggled through to Heero and grinned like a mad man.  
  
"Heero! I saw you up there! That was great! You were easily one of the best- looking Nazis! Did you get my stuff?" He bounced all around Heero his voice racing but luckily not squeaking and cracking.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." That was all Heero got out before a rabid swarm of fans and friends swept him away. Duo looked after Heero with disappointment and then turned to get out of the press of bodies. He wasn't claustrophobic but that horde could change that fact real quick. So he escaped, outside and into the crisp, cold, starry night.  
  
In a few minutes Quatre came out, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed. Duo took it he had met up with Trowa. "Hey buddy, where are the other two?" Duo winced at how his voice came out a shallow rasp and at the painful raw scratch his throat had become. Note to self, do not scream when sick with sore throat.  
  
"They went to a cast party and said to go home without them. Hey, are you okay?"  
  
Duo nodded before rasping, "Throat's just a lil sore."  
  
"Yeah I'll bet, Heero and Trowa said that they heard you all the way in the hall."  
  
Great, then the sore throat is worth it! Oh yeah, happy dance...why's the sky spinning?  
  
Duo realized that he was sick, he was cold, and he was very, very tired. After all, he had just spent four hours on a hard bench and screamed his fool head off. Quatre understood and they went to the car without another word. Once in the front seat Duo slumped down, grinning to himself sleepily. Ah, life once more was good. Uh, wait a sec. He opened the door again and snatched his braid and trench coat in, he hated when he shut them in the door like that...  
  
Where was he? Oh yeah, life was good once more. Slowly he let himself drift off in the front sleep for pleasant dreams.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Like I said before, my reviews got erased along with the original version. I would appreciate anyone who is willing to help replace them. Please and thanks! 


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next chapter at long last. Just more random fun. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
He knew it; deep in the bottom of his boots he knew it for a fact. Today was going to suck.  
  
You can ask how he knew it but he couldn't tell you. Maybe it was how cold and dreary it was, the sky an ill gray and rain slanting down driven by 40 mph winds. Maybe it was the fact the alarm clock didn't go off and he was late to the school he attended for a cover. Maybe it was because of the dream about being eaten alive by chipmunks...you never know.  
  
Anyway, when Duo woke up an hour late, only getting up then because of Quatre pounding on his door he just knew that he'd regret not staying snuggled under the warm sheets. Since Quatre was his ride and the little blonde didn't want to be late he once again had to perform the speed change.  
  
As he did whenever he was in a hurry he simply slung on jeans, a black t- shirt and tennies under his trench coat. Hell, it was the only coat he had. This outfit was starting to become a habit...  
  
Running through the house he ripped through his hair, geez split ends were going to become a problem soon, braided it and grabbed his pack back. He was out the door when he remembered the borrowed pot of ink and nib that he had to return to *shudder* Relena. Scary bitch.  
  
Once he had that tucked away in the front pocket of his backpack and made sure he had lunch money he dived in the car. Yeah, this was definitely getting to be a habit. Was it too cliché? Well even if it was then life was cliché and it didn't really matter in the long run.  
  
In the car an annoying country song came on, a horrible and traumatizing experience but since Duo didn't have a license and driver got to choose there was squat didly he could do about it. And the worst thing was that as much as he hated country the song became firmly stuck in his head. Oh today was going to be frickin wonderful.  
  
At the school Duo remembered a very annoying fact, he didn't have a first period. He could have slept in for another hour... Damn what a waste. Yeah but then he'd have had to ride his bike or walk in the cold. "I have nothing to do~o." Since Quatre had long disappeared Duo set his feet to wandering. After half an hour or so he found himself outside building eight, staring longingly into a large window.  
  
Heero. Yes, there he was, sitting in the first row of English class. Look up, just look up. Duo leaned against an out jutting wall and waved to see if Heero would notice. He didn't.  
  
He doesn't look so good. A frown tugged at Duo's mouth. Heero looked sick, flushed, tired. Is he okay? Duo pressed a hand to the window and waved again, trying to get him to look. Nothing.  
  
I hope he didn't catch my cold. God, what if he's sick and it's my fault? Duo sighed and pushed away.  
  
It was really cold out here and as much as he just wanted to watch Heero work in two more minutes he'd be picking icicles out of his braid. Til lunch then Heero. Duo sighed and made a beeline for the library, it was the only building he could go in without the campus cop chasing him down and yelling at him. Right now it wasn't a good idea to tempt fate, according to Mr. Elliot [*hiss* EVIL] the vice-principal, he was currently two and a half steps away from expulsion.  
  
Like I care. If it were up to me I wouldn't even be here.  
  
The library was crowded as usual and instead of getting a nice cushy chair he was stuck in a horrible hard and back straining contraption that would be more at home in a medieval torture chamber. Shit this thing hurts! Fighting back a whimper or a growl, he wasn't sure which; he leaned forward on the table and waited for the bell to ring. Using his trench coat as a cushion he simply sat there and stared at the clock, willing it to move faster.  
  
"I feel like singing, I'm swinging the whole planet on the end of my chain. And when you kiss me, my head starts spinning. It's like your sending me adrenaline straight to my brain."  
  
Goddamn country song. He couldn't help it or stop the words from slipping out and worst of all, he couldn't remember any words other than those few. Next time he ran into the blonde, Quatre was DEAD.  
  
About the fifth time he ran through the song someone at the next table threw a book at him. "Shut up already! We get it!"  
  
Duo snickered when the librarian dragged the boy out. Hehehe. Serves the guy right for chucking that at me. Good thing he missed or he'd be limping. Really for the right cause he had no qualms against kicking below the belt.  
  
After a slow painful eternity the bell went off, resounding through the library. Oh hallelujah. Like a flash he was up and running to his class, desperate to see his friends. I need to talk to someone dammit!  
  
It didn't take long to get there; the library and the CLC where he was going had nothing but a parking lot in between. But would he walk around on the sidewalk? Oh no, not him. Like a fool he ran across the parking lot and dodged cars. Hell why not? And not all the cars were parked. I swear that jackass was trying to hit me!  
  
Here it was, the CLC. Home for STAR, (students together achieving results, not to be mistaken for STARS, students today aren't ready for sex. It's really annoying when people get those mixed up.) The gray building was large and circular. Last year it had been a computer building but had been given to the little STAR class after construction began and their previous room had lost a wall. It was a wee bit chilly in there after that.  
  
No one was there but Mona, the teacher and Dave, the other teacher person who helped grade essays. Duo waved to them and chirped, "Hi!" before bouncing to his seat.  
  
Dammit someone took his chair. You see there was a small problem with the room; every chair but one pulled his hair painfully. Everyday he had to walk around and switch chairs around to get that one and it really sucked when someone was sitting in it. That was why he got here early.  
  
But today he was just shit out of luck, the chair wasn't there and as people started pouring in he was stuck in a little green one with those horrible buttons that yanked his hair. Sure he could sit on one of the two couches but he wanted to talk with his friends. Scooting to the very edge of it he leaned on the table and tried to make the best of a bad situation. You know, today sucked.  
  
"Hey guys." His friends walked in together and sat down. Hilde beamed at him, Trowa smiled briefly and Wufei, well the jerk ignored them all and went to the computers.  
  
"Hi Duo, what's going on?"  
  
And so the class started with the three pretending to work while chatting about anything that caught their attention.  
  
Duo's head jerked up suddenly. Very cold shivers were running up and down his back, and not the good ones he got around Heero either. Turning his head he saw Mona in all here scary glory towering over him. How the hell did that women tower, he was taller than her even sitting down. She was barely 4'7" for god's sake! I swear she took classes on how to be imposing in teacher school. Well that's all beside the point. The fact was she was hovering over him and he was scared of the diminutive women. "Duo, go find another seat."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You're being too loud, go get centered someone else." Hilde and Trowa looked back down to their books and started working furiously, pretending they hadn't been involved. Humph, some friends.  
  
So as Mona stalked away to empty her water bottle on a sleeping student he gathered up his stuff and went over to the only empty seat, the fifty some year old couch by the window. Of course his braid got caught on those buttons when he stood up and he was jerked back down. After a few minutes of struggling to unhook the hair he was finally free.  
  
Screw it; he wasn't going to work now. Growling under his breath at Mona, and wincing when she looked in his direction, he pulled out his clipboard, a nib, and the bottle of ink. Drawing was always relaxing.  
  
After scribbling random things on his first sheet and streaking it with cursive lines of "meow" he felt warmed up enough to start a real picture. It really was soothing and even though he didn't have guidelines his picture was coming out surprisingly well. His thoughts drifted and before long he was thinking of, who else, Heero. The subject of his little doodle.  
  
His attention was jerked back to reality as something hit his clipboard and rolled. Hilde's projectile smeared the ink across his picture, obscuring the image. Now chibi tiger Heero was ruined. Looking up he glared at Hilde and threw the pen back.  
  
She waved her hands in apology. Duo started to try and salvage the picture before he had a premonition about the little bottle of barely balanced ink. What if she had knocked it over onto his coat? He loved this coat, it was the only one he had. So he screwed the ink shut and tucked it away into the backpack. No point in tempting fate.  
  
Mona had stepped out of the room and Hilde was hissing across the distance, trying to get his attention. "I'm so bored." She pantomimed shooting herself in the head from boredom. Trowa, in an unusual act of comedy, "stabbed" himself with a pencil and keeled over in agreement.  
  
Just then Mona walked back in and Duo waited patiently for her to turn away before replying. He nodded in agreement and "hung" himself with his braid energetically. Too energetically obviously because he slipped and slammed the side of his head against the couch arm.  
  
I am not joking, there are stars in front of my eyes. Damn that thing is hard, it was just fabric over very, very solid wood. His friends and Mona all hurried over to see if he was okay. Slightly dizzy he tried to assure them he was okay.  
  
"I'm fine. No dain bramage." What the hell did I just say? Oh, I think I'm going to throw up. Maybe I gave myself a concussion.  
  
Mona and his friends didn't look too worried; they had started sniggering at his verbal slip up. It isn't funny dammit! I'm hurt! Man down, man down!  
  
Then the bell rang, sending shooting pain through his head. Oh god I need some Tylenol. Mona directed the kids out towards the gym; there was an assembly today. After they had to come back for the second period of STAR. Oh joy.  
  
Getting off the unbelievably low couch Duo tripped on his coat and sprawled face first. His supposed friends started laughing again but Trowa at least was nice enough to offer a hand. Duo mumbled thanks and stormed out of the room.  
  
So what was the assembly about? Once he had shoved his way to a seat on the top row of the bleachers he had an answer. This was the locks of love one where a bunch of students were donating their hair. People had been bugging him to do it but what could he say, he loved the braid. Before long the gym was packed and everybody else had arrived.  
  
Heero's sitting next to me. ^-^ Everybody else was there but Heero was the only one who mattered. Just being around him made the headache fade away. With concern he noticed how flushed the boy was but couldn't help but think he was beautiful. Such dreamy eyes and his lips looked so very kissable. Hey, who said he couldn't daydream?  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Just a little cold, no big deal." Ahh, he wants to know if I'm okay. Pardon me while I melt into a gooey little puddle.  
  
Below them about twelve girls and one teacher, the only guy there, sat in a small circle nervously with some more students behind them. There was little squirrel!! One of his friends he hardly ever saw, Celeste, was down there too. She was so cute! Like a hyper little sister. Apparently it wasn't time for the hair hacking yet as the lights dimmed until the gym was pitch black and a mini movie started.  
  
Heero actually smiled, barely visible, and whispered in Duo's ear. Oh, the sweet shivers were back. "Maybe I should donate my hair too." He made a joke! Duo was a little too overwhelmed by the warm breath on his neck to comment for a moment but realized an opportunity when he saw one.  
  
"Hmm, do you think you have the required ten inches?" Teasingly he ran his fingers in the short dark brown, almost black, hair, making it stand straight and mentally measuring it. It was just as soft as it looked. Hanyan... Heero didn't seem to mind, he just kept joking.  
  
"Oh they'll spot me a few inches I'm sure. Is it possible to have minus inches of hair?" Duo was kind of glad Heero wasn't saying that he should hack off his braid. He liked this side of Heero. I guess it just took a cold to make him relax.  
  
"Look at the lights."  
  
Huh? Duo frowned a little and turned his head, and looked across the gym to the other set of bleachers. Oh. A bunch of little lights were waving back and forth. There were about a hundred and they were mainly five colors. After a moment he realized what they were. Students were waving their cell phones in a little light show. Looking around he saw that kids were doing it on this side too but he couldn't see it as well. It was kind of neat.  
  
Heero gave him a little, friendly hug as the lights came on and he sighed in disappointment. Damn the people for going on with their assembly and ruining a potentially romantic moment. Some of the students around them, he noted with amusement, were hastily pulling apart. Well what else would happen with teenagers in near total dark?  
  
With a thump he realized Heero still had one arm around his shoulders and his hand was still in the soft curls. Times like this make me realize just how much I love him. And it hurts because I know he's just my friend. So he tried to memorize this moment, how warm Heero was, the way he felt but half a second later he pulled away embarrassed. Did I put deodorant on this morning? God, I didn't brush my teeth! What if I smell?  
  
God I'm an idiot but I don't want to disgust Heero. It's the strangest thing, he always makes me so body conscious and doubtful, but I'm never like this when he's gone. Grr, this entire situation sucks and I still want to kiss him!  
  
Students around them cheered and he blinked in surprise. The first person's braid had been cut off and put into a little plastic bag. You know, Celeste looked even cuter with her hair like that, short in the back and hanging longer in front. The next girl got her hair cut and another wave of cheers went up. Even Heero was catcalling and clapping. What else could he do but join in? It was what they expected and soon he was one of the loudest people.  
  
Everyone got their hair hacked off and some people started talking down on the floor, thanking the volunteers and encouraging others to do the same. Heero patted him on the shoulder and said goodbye as the assembly ended and everyone got up to leave. It was tempting to follow Heero and get shoved together with him in the crowd but no. Too many people made him nervous.  
  
Duo just stayed where he was and watched the sea of bodies pouring out of the bleachers and out the door. It was a thing of his, he never jammed in with the crowd rushing to get out the door, he preferred to watch the people and wait for things to calm down. Uhn. My headache's back. He was distracted by the pounding that had started again and just sort of wandered back to the Star building. He went back to the couch, happy to zone and think of Heero. So that Mona wouldn't eat him alive he pretended to work, pulling out his English book and a pad of lined paper. He started writing but not about the assigned story, no, once again he wandered to the subject of Heero.  
  
The truth is plain but can't I dream? Behind my smiling jokes I'm not all I seem Define love for me, show me the truth with your touch Is it wrong somehow that I hope for so much? My heart pounds but you look on uncomprehending These hungry glances, do I risk out friendship ending? I'm different when you're gone I can speak clearly Not tripping over desperate comments Or scooting away fearfully Torn between love and friends, what I choose What we have, what I could lose I think I love my closest friend Do I dare risk our end? I need time to think...  
  
Well isn't that a lovely piece of drivel? Duo blushed just looking at the stupid little poem he had scribbled down but something stopped him from throwing it away. So he folded the damn thing and stuck it in his pocket. God I'm a fool, he doesn't feel the same way. He likes girls for crying out loud!  
  
The bell rang for lunch, jerking him back to reality. Where the fuck did that hour go?  
  
Trowa was next to him and waving a hand in front of his face. Ehh? "What do you want?" So I'm being rude now, I'm depressed, I have the right to it.  
  
He looked relived at getting a response and smiled very slightly. "Duo man, you've kinda been zoned out since the assembly."  
  
No duh. Everyone else gathered at the table were watching him. It was a little unnerving. "What are you looking at, let's go to lunch!" He smiled cheerfully, painfully aware of how red his face still was. Once more he bounced up, once more he tripped on the hem of his coat, leaving footprints and falling on his face. Oh today was just lovely.  
  
He ignored his friends laughing at him once more and huffed out, stomping down to building six and the cafeteria. As usual he joined the abnormally long line, it snaked around the room and out the door and he was at the very end of it, oh joy. By the time he got his lunch everyone else was at the table and the only seat was next to Relena. [a/n Loxy, if ya read this I'm sorry but I couldn't think of anyone else who could fit your role. I don't really hate ya but still, MINE!!]  
  
Wufei walked up and grunted hello. "Hey Duo, I've got a date later. Can you draw a tattoo on my arm to impress her?"  
  
"Permanent or temporary?" After all I do have that bottle of ink and a very sharp nib. Oh the possibilities.  
  
"Temporary you baka."  
  
Smiling sweetly and taking the time to fish out his ink to wake up more completely he got ready to draw. My mind feels a little foggy but eh, anything to help a friend. Carefully he unscrewed the inkbottle and chose a rounded nib. "So, what do you want?"  
  
Wufei shrugged and straddled a chair next to him, rolling up his right sleeve efficiently. "Just something cool." Hilde grinned and nibbled on a french-fry while watching them. Duo looked at the door, wondering what was taking Heero so long. Well he'll be here soon. So I should probably do this before I get all giggly and distracted.  
  
"Okay, just tell me if this hurts cause it probably means I'm doing something I shouldn't." Gripping his friend's arm, he dipped the nib into the ink and started working. It was simple, a slightly curled Chinese dragon on his forearm. Nothing fancy. Just before he finished the tail he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, heard a gasp and froze.  
  
He didn't have to look, he knew what had happened and he was in shock. No, god no. NO!!! Eyes very, very wide he turned slowly and stared at his friend. Hilde was looking at him with horror with a little bit of ink on her hand. Even slower he turned and looked down. The entire bottle of ink had been splashed over his jeans, his shoes and his trench coat. HIS COAT!!  
  
While he would have normally screamed and beaten her he just couldn't. There was nothing but shock in his mind. His coat. Face slack without a word he stood up and walked out, holding the edge of his coat up daintily. He walked to the bathroom and took off his coat, thinking only that maybe, just maybe he could rinse it out.  
  
Funny thing about black ink, when mixed with water it turns purple. Five minutes and two purple stained sinks later he realized this wasn't working. They were just too small and the water kept turning off. So he scooped up his coat and headed instead to the cooking classroom.  
  
"Mrs. Mast?"  
  
"Duo?" The teacher was a little startled to see him with such despair on his face, he could see concern on her face.  
  
"Can I use your sink?" She took in the ink on his jeans and coat and he found himself with a bottle of gentle soap, tons of towels and a large sink. He didn't care about the shoes or the jeans, they were old anyway. But his coat, he loved the coat. It made him feel taller and always added to his confidence. It made him look like the anime type person he was!  
  
With water as cold as he could stand he washed until the water came away clear. That meant that either he had gotten it all out or the ink was too settled into the cloth to come out now. Let us pray for the first choice. Face bleak he went through the office into Stacia's classroom where the art teacher, a good friend of his, helped him drape his coat over an easel with a ruler through the sleeves. It looked like a pathetic scarecrow.  
  
Wufei came into the classroom with his bag, not saying a word but looking sad. The honor bound guy was probably blaming himself for the accident. Hilde trailed in behind him.  
  
"I hate you." Duo glared at her but it lacked passion, his coat was one of his favorite things in the world, second only to Heero and his braid. He'd had it for years and it was like a part of his body, he almost always wore it when he was feeling depressed. And the biggest reason it was important was because Heero had gotten it for him. Wearing it almost felt like an eternal hug from his love. And now it was ruined.  
  
Turning his back on his protesting friend he accepted his bag from Wufei and slung it over one shoulder before leaving to go to French class. Hilde trailed behind him with Relena, they had the same class as him anyway.  
  
Relena had ink in her hair and splashed across the front of her bright, Bright, yellow shirt. Apparently he wasn't the only victim. Before he could help it, before he could remind himself that he hated the world he was laughing at her. He was laughing at Hilde for the ink on her nose, he was laughing because his skin up to the elbows was a purple gray color, he was laughing because he was stressed and tired and they were late. And the two girls were laughing with him.  
  
Okay, so this isn't as dramatic as I thought it was, damn I am the master of melodrama. All hail me. A thought sobered him though, more than the ink stained coat. "Hey, did Heero ever show up for lunch?"  
  
Relena pouted and folded her arms. "No, I haven't seen him since the assembly. I think he went home sick. After school I'm going to go and bring him soup."  
  
What?! He's sick, oh god he's sick! It's all my fault! Those few words just kept circling in Duo's head, repeating over and over until he thought he would go crazy. For the rest of the day he ignored the teachers, his friends, everything. All he could think of was a miserable Heero, sick at home and wondering how he could help. To bring him chicken soup was tempting thought but other than being cliché he also knew for a fact that Heero hated chicken soup with a passion.  
  
When the final bell rang he rushed to the bus, barley stopping to claim his coat in the art room. It was still wet and he almost turned to ice when the cold air hit him outside. Gah, coats are supposed to keep you warm not help you freeze!  
  
Duo huddled into a little ball next to the window on the bus and rubbed his arms, trying to help the coat dry or to warm himself up but for all his efforts he remained just as cold and wet. Jesse, another kid he was friends with, was trying futilely to get his attention. Shivering Duo looked up at his fellow trench coat wearing artist and tried to smile. "Yeah?"  
  
"Cold?"  
  
"Yes! Am I that obvious?" Duo grinned and tried to curl up tighter, it didn't work. Their bus pulled up to the sidewalk and Duo watched the people in front of them shuffle off.  
  
Jesse grinned much like Duo and slipped out of his coat, almost identical to Duo's. "The blue lips are a dead give away. Here." With that he dropped the large duster on Duo's head.  
  
"Hey, but you'll be cold now!" Jesse shrugged and gestured to the sweater he was wearing and dashed off the bus before Duo could force the coat back on him.  
  
Dammit, now I'm going to feel guilty. He's really nice though, I mean just last week he loaned me those PS2 games and he gave me that gameboy when he heard mine was broken. He wouldn't even accept any money for it! Duo shrugged out of his wet coat and wiggled into Jesse's before stowing his away in the front pocket of his backpack.  
  
As usual he was the last one off the bus. It had become a tradition for him.  
  
Ahh, so warm. I need to find a way to thank Jesse for being so nice. Duo bounced down the sidewalk in the general direction of home before an idea of what to do for Heero hit him. Pausing on the pavement he checked the contents of his pockets and grinned, perfect. After stuffing his money back into the jean's pocket he raced towards Nap's IGA to get what he needed. Five minutes later and with a plastic bag clenched in his fist he was running to see Heero.  
  
It wasn't long before he was at the little brick red house and he was knocking on the door. Heero came to the door and looked out at him, frowning. "Hi, what's going on?"  
  
"Heard you were sick." Duo looked Heero over and winced, he looked so much sicker than he had at the assembly. It was awful, his face was flushed and he looked like he had a fever. But dammit, he still looked too kissable for his own good.  
  
Trying to look sympathetic Duo held out his offering. "I wanted to help but couldn't think of anything better. And I know you don't like chicken soup."  
  
With obvious curiosity Heero took the bag and peered in at Duo's brilliant idea, a 1-liter Pepsi and a bag of cheetohs, puffy style. Heero's favorite junk food.  
  
And when you're sick what makes you feel better than junk food? Heero seemed to think along the same way because he smiled and gave Duo a little hug. "Thanks." Once more Duo panicked about whether he smelled bad or something and tugged away. "Well I'm glad you like it bye!!" Duo rushed to get away; he couldn't stand the thought of Heero seeing his bright red face. I am such an idiot!  
  
Yep, today definitely sucked. It'd take a major miracle for this to get better.  
  
**************  
  
Duo stared in quiet ecstatic shock at the large blue Ziploc bag in his hands. Oh, my, god. It was more than half filled with large, chocolate chip cookies, his favorite. For some reason he couldn't name tears started gathering at the corners of his eyes.  
  
I won't ever be able to eat these. One tear streaking down his cheek he hugged the plastic bag close against his chest and giggled. I have never loved anything as much as these cookies!  
  
Well maybe one. Duo stopped dancing around the room and reverently unzipped the bag. With care he picked out the smallest one and took a little nibble. Very salty and a little underdone but they were the best cookies he had ever eaten. Quickly he sealed the bag up and bounced to the fridge to hide the cookies away. Wandering back into the front room he curled up on the couch and ate the cookie slowly, savoring each bite.  
  
Hmm. Yummy. With another almost hysterical giggle he hugged himself and licked the crumbs off his lips. Salty, and chocolately. It was what he imagined Heero must taste like. For a second his happiness faded, would he ever get the chance to know for sure what Heero tasted like or would he always be stuck with daydreams and wonderings?  
  
I will not be gloomy; this is the best day in super long!! Heero made me cookies! No one else got cookies, they were just for me! He giggled and hugged himself again. Right now I feel like the most special person in the world. He had gotten his miracle. Yay!  
  
All curled up on the couch he heard a suspicious crunching sound and bounced up. That sounded like...OH SHINIGAMI MY COOKIES!!  
  
Sliding around the corner, he was wearing socks and the floor was polished wood, he saw a horrifying sight. Wufei was standing in the kitchen with the bag open and was wolfing down the cookies. His precious, beautiful, baked- by-Heero-just-for-him cookies.  
  
"I'll kill you!!"  
  
Wufei looked up in surprise and showed the cookies back in the fridge. Quickly he swallowed the last fragments and tried to look innocent. "What, I didn't do anything."  
  
"You ate them!! Those cookies were just for me and you ate them!!" Tears of rage started down his cheeks as he yelled and he could see Wufei gulp in panic. Half a heartbeat later he was chasing Wufei around the house and beating him with the first thing that had come to hand.  
  
It's amazing how much damage you could do with a blue stuffed bunny.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Would you please review and tell me what ya think? After all, I need to make up for all the reviews that got erased with the original version of this story. Please help? 


	4. Chapter 4

"Happy birthday dear Heero," Duo sang the words softly under his breath and glanced across the room where the other pilots were already seated. It was a nice restaurant, Heero hadn't wanted a party. So they were here and Duo had yet to make his entrance. Taking a friends advice he had gotten flowers, something simple and classic. He had nicked them from Quatre's garden, I mean like he's going to notice?

That damn movie was also with him, wrapped in plain brown paper and with it was a little card he had drawn himself. So it wasn't the perfect gift, it was better than nothing right? Once more he considered just blowing off the birthday instead of taking the risk of becoming the fool in Heero's eyes. Hmm, never mind, he already thinks of me as a fool.

The only thing he felt sure of was the card, he had taken hours laboring over it and he loved how it had turned out. It was simple, with a chibi Duo hugging a similarly shrunken Heero on the cover and the words Happy birthday buddy on the inside. It shouldn't have taken as long as it did but he had taken extra care in inking and coloring the picture and in making sure the words were straight. Heero would like the picture, he knew it. Heero had taken to squirreling away any picture he drew and left lying around recently, that must mean he liked them, right?

Duo was dressed to impress and for the first time in his life he felt self-conscious about his appearance. Would Heero like the clothes he had picked out? The longer he stood there the sillier he felt. What was he thinking wearing the black silk shirt that exposed a triangle of his chest or the new blue jeans that were a little too tight? He must look like an idiot in the trench coat and those leather boots that made him tall enough to look Heero in the eye.

Okay that's it, I'm leaving. I can't take the stress. For another moment Duo stared at the others before turning and walking out of the restaurant. No one noticed. Once he was outside he gasped in relief, just standing in the very, very cold air and watching cars go by on the main road through this dingy little town. His breath left frost before him when he sighed and wrapped the dark blue trench coat tighter around him, finally giving in and buttoning it up even though it restricted his movement.

Before walking away he glanced up at the red Sheri's sign that highlighted him painfully. An old thought came to him and he muttered, "I run and hide," He didn't finish it. There was no point. So what if he didn't lie? He was running from the person most important in the world, because he was too worried about what to say, about what to do.

But he couldn't do it, he wasn't brave enough. So he walked away, back towards home. It was a long way but he didn't care. Even though it was longer he walked to the street then up to cross the street instead of using the crosswalk in front of Sheri's. They would have been able to see him from the window.

Each step was like was another little needle being pushed through his heart, if the pain didn't stop soon he'd go insane. All he wanted was to be in quiet solitude, to hate himself and maybe Heero a little bit too. Hate was better than love; it didn't hurt as much. But it wouldn't be quiet around him, cars roared by, his heart screamed at him and as hard as he tried, he couldn't blame or hate Heero. What had he ever done but have a birthday.

It's not his fault I fell in love with him. He doesn't even know and it'll stay that way until I get the courage to say something; which, knowing me, will probably be the day after the twelfth of never.

Not for the first time in his life he contemplated suicide. At least he would stop hurting, but he knew he never would. Some people might say it was because he didn't want to hurt the ones he loved, the ones he'd leave behind. But I know the truth, he thought wryly. I'm not going to kill myself because I'm too much of a coward. If I wasn't I'd have taken the easy way out years ago.

Duo stopped and stood very still, eye clenched shut against the fiery tears that tried to escape. Despite himself they wriggled free and slip down his cheeks, very painfully hot and icy the next instant. The two roses in his hand were almost bent in half by now but he just couldn't let them go.

How could he, how dare he hope that Heero like him? The man was as straight as an arrow and even if he weren't, Duo wouldn't rate his attention. He was plain, boring. He wasn't strong, he wasn't smart, and goddamn it he wasn't even the cheerful person everyone saw! Long ago he had found a mask and slipped it on, one that made the people around him happier. Ever since he had kept it on, so no one would see, no one would judge.

I don't want them to worry. Taking a deep breath he scrubbed away the tears and spent a moment staring into the stars. You don't have the right to worry them. But I just wish………

That they would see me.

Why the hell am I walking away, Heero expects me to say happy birthday to him! Duo snapped into his smile and turned back to the restaurant. He could say happy birthday to him and he wouldn't even cry. He could smile, he could face Heero. All he had to do was keep telling himself that there was no reason to get so upset over Heero. The simple fact was the man didn't love him and wouldn't love him.

In a depressing way it made this so much easier. I'm not worth loving, and he deserves better than me. That was all it took.

With a big genuine looking smile on his face he almost skipped back to the restaurant just in case anyone was watching. Like a smiling whirlwind he breezed through the doors and over to the table. "Hi guys! Sorry I'm late, I was thinking about something an lost track of time." Not entirely a lie.

"Hi Duo! Sit down!" Quatre beamed up at him and Trowa nodded, even Wufei gave him a little half wave. Heero didn't even spare him a second glance, he was too busy talking to a girl Duo didn't recognize but that Heero obviously knew.

Before a hurt look could sap away his smile Duo whispered to himself, 'remember, as long as the one you love is happy you're happy and Heero would never be happy with you.'

"Happy birthday Heero." Still smiling brightly Duo pulled the movie out of the pocket and gave it to him with the card. The flowers he put into his coat pocket before they were noticed. Heero wouldn't want them and they might give away the inappropriate feelings he had.

Heero finally finished talking to the girl sitting to his right and greeted Duo, gesturing for him to take a seat like Quatre had. "You're late."

"Well thanks for stating the obvious, you're as observant as ever Heero!" Duo grinned, teasing Heero as naturally as breathing. Unbuttoned his coat and pulled it to the side with his braid so he could sit down without catching either of them on something.

The waiter showed up and asked if they were ready to order. Everyone said what they wanted, Duo barely paying attention to what he was ordering. After the man left Duo smiled at the stranger. "So who's this?"

"Oh! Oh rude of me!" The girls grinned at him. Duo looked her over noticing her hair was cute short just like Heero's and the dark brown hair was died almost orange at the highly gelled tips. She was wearing a very old and raggy looking dress shirt over a Hawaiian one and cargo pants. I'm disgusted already. "My names Loxen!" YOU HEAR THAT LOXEN! I made you a girl! growls Baka

Duo reached out to shake her hand, a little surprised out how strong her grip was. "Well it's a pleasure to meet ya Loxy. How do you know the birthday boy?"

Quatre grinned, "She's his girlfriend!"

For a very long moment Duo was quiet before smiling again just as brightly as ever. "Good for you two." Why didn't I know this? Oh god, Quatre thanks for pulling out my heart and stomping on it. But how could the boy know to break it gently? He hadn't told anyone he was in love with Heero, he hadn't even come out of the closet yet.

It was one thing to tell yourself you weren't good enough and that the man you loved was straight but it was quite different to find out he was dating a girl. Especially when he could do so much better. Duo coughed quietly and stood up mumbling something about needing a fresh breath of air. It probably didn't impress Heero that when he stood he tripped on his trench coat and went sprawling.

Putting another smile on he bounced back to his feet crowing loudly and triumphantly, "I am the klutz king!" Before bouncing out the door.

Baka baka baka! How the hell is it I can humiliate myself like that without a second thought and I can't even tell one person, Hey, did you know I love you? Tonight was turning into a very nice little niche of hell for him. He only kept himself from crying by repeating, you're not good enough for him. If the one you love is happy you're happy and if she makes him smile then you should be thanking her for it.

Duo slumped against the doorway, once more savoring the wintery air of the silly little town. When the door opened besides him he jumped and spun, relaxing and tensing at once when he saw whom it was. Heero.

"Duo, are you okay?"

Those little words pulled at his mask and suddenly he had himself wrapped around Heero's neck, near tears. "No I'm not okay! I'm sorry I couldn't get you a better gift! You always get me better stuff then I get you." That was it, the damn tears broke free and started dripping down his face.

Hesitantly Heero hugged him back, stroking Duo's braid. "It's okay, I really like that movie, and the card is cute."

Duo laughed quietly with the tears still running down his face. Without thinking he blurted out, "You're so nice when I act stupid over this stuff, that's why I love you." He froze and pulled out of the hug, looking at his feet feeling terribly ashamed. YOU IDIOT! He yelled at himself mentally.

Heero tilted Duo's chin up and smiled. "Duo, you know I love you too. You're my very best friend."

In just a few minutes his heart rose and plummeted to crash and shatter. Luckily he had the mask to slide in place so he could smile like that was exactly what he had meant. "Best friends forever, right?"

"Yep, come on, the foods here." Heero smiled again, a soft frail thing and turned to walk back in.

Yeah, best friends………and that'll have to be enough. Smile firmly in place he bounced in, not showing the pain in his heart. After all, it was what they expected.

  
The End


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